Banishment Scorns Reproaches Persecution c. The Annointing promotes according to what the holy Prophet speaks Isa 10. v. 27. And it shall come to pass in that day that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder and his yoke from off thy neck and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the annointing This apprehension and oppinion concerning a more flourishing State of the Church and Saints then ever the World yet saw such as wherein there shall be Righteousness and Peace and wherein the Lyon shall lye down with the Lamb and none shall hurt in all the holy Mountain of God but Jerusalem shall be a quiet habitation Zions King appearing in his Beauty the Bride the Lambs Wife in her bravery clad in clean Linnen pure and white which is the Righteousness of the Saints Revel 19. Zions solemnities performed in a most perfect and compleat manner the glorious Lord being to his Saints and people as a place of broad Rivers where no Gallie with Oars shall pass no Funeral solemnities performed yea no sicknes seazing upon them for the Inhabitants shall say I am not sick the People that are therein shall be forgiven their iniquity all or most of which expressions you find in Is 33. This apprehension I say the Scripture seems strongly to favour as that in the 37. Psalm which is a Psalm of providence penned on purpose to quiet and calm to support sweeten the spirits of the Godly under all the Persecutions Oppositions and hard Usages which they are subject to meet withall and by means whereof they are too apt to fall into Frees and Under-discomposures to be put out of possession of their Souls by Impatience it is said there that the meek shall inherit the Earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace and as I take it our Saviour referrs to the Scripture alleadged before in Mathew 5. where among other Beatitudes he pronounces a blessedness upon the Meek such as carry Patiently Calmely and Quietly and with a composed spirit under all the Hardships the◠are put to undergoe by the Men of the Earth that these meek ones shall inherit the earth And by the way let me tell you that this meekness and calmness of Spirit is that which intitles to most pretious Promises and Priviledges as a meek and quiet Spirit either in men or Women is a thing very pleasing with God he values it as a thing of great price 1 Pet. 3. So is it also very beneficial and profitable to us they that are beautified with it God will beautifie with Salvation Psalm 149 when God ariseth to Judgment he hath always a special respect to the meek of the Earth Psal 76. The meek of the earth that set themselves to seek and shew forth and be expressive of meekness of all others are the likeliest to be hid in the day of the Lords anger Zepha 2. v 3. Moses was the meekest man in all the earth as it is testified of him in Numbers 12. and when Aaron and Miriam spake against him and dealt in a querulous manner with him concerning the Ethiopian woman he was quiet and meek and carryed as one that heard not and as one in whose mouth were no reproofs as David speaks of himself Psal 38. v. 13 14. But doth the Lord suffer this to pass without checks and controule no I 'le warrant you God will plead the Cause of his meek ones God speaks quick and short and to speak with a holy Reverence cutted to Aaron and Miriam calls them out sharply reproves them and saith unto them How were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses this meekness of Spirit my dear friends I have seriously considered of and weighed with my self First In reference to my self Nextly In reference to others both Godly Ministers and professours too for I must tell you as I principally study God Christ the Mysteries of Godliness and my self So do I study men and observe what spirits and carriages they are of both preachers and professours persons of several perswasions and where I finde them to be of Meek Humble Lowly Spirits and Carriages notwithstanding the circumstantial differences between them I can I do Cordially own and imbrace one another but where either of them discover an elated spirit and bear up above their brethren and keep at a distance from them upon the account of greater gifts and parts and because their names are blowne up and they swim upon a full sea of popularity when others of their brethren that it may be have as much soundness of Judgment as much Grace as they love Christ as much as they are as Cordial to the cause of Godliness as they are yet upon the account of meaner parts and not being in that esteem have little or no respect from them I am abundantly satisfied in my self that there is sufficient cause thus to animadvert if any be offended so let them For such I wish they would study better what it is to be of a true Gospel spirit which they may learn from their Lord and Master the great Apostle and high Priest of their holy profession who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the good shepherd the great shepherd the chief shepherd who was meek and lowly and requires of them that are his under shepherds and all his Disciples that they learn of him who was the Lord of all yet because a servant to all The example also of Paul who does take special knowledge of his Masters meekness and is strongly argumentative from it as in the 2d. of the Corinthians chap. 10. v. 1. where he presses from the meekness and gentleness of Christ his example I say contributes much to such a purpose who though he was not behinde the chiefest Apostles yet acknowledges himself not worthy to be called an Apostle and though he knew his gifts and parts that he spake with tongues more then they all and had laboured more then they all yet professes himself to be less then the least of all the Saints a very nothing and in his Doctrine teacheth that there should not be a minding of high things but a condescending to men of low degree and I must profess for my own part till I see more of this meekness of spirit in Preachers and Professours I cannot think that ever we shall see the performance of these things which we professe to live in the joyfull expectation of surely we must all be better spirited of a more Humble Heavenly Spiritual Self-denying frame of Spirit before all be well with us I am expressing as before my comfortable confidence concerning a better condition that the Church and Saints shall be brought into before the final consummation the Prophet Isaiah 60. gives ground for such a hope to be built upon it is a pretious scripture and I think it referrs to the state of the Church in this world Officers
THE Plague Checkt OR PIETY will either Prevent OR Alter the Property of the PLAGVE HELD FORTH Together with sundry other Things in a Letter Written by a Friend to sundry of his godly Friends and Acquaintance Pouring out himself thereby into their Bosomes and opening his Heart unto them Partly in a Paraeneticall and Perswasory way Partly in a Corroborating and Consolatory way with respect to the Present Times and Providences Wherein the Great and Terrible God hath appeared in some what a Dreadfull manner both by Land and Sea and by Terrible Things in Righteousnesse hath manifested and made himself known to the sonnes of Men as the Lord of Hosts and the God that is Holy who will be Exalted in Judgement and Sanctified in Righteousnesse London Printed by T. M. for the Authors Friends 1665. A Friend of the Authours to the READER MY Friend if so thou art to whom these come Acknowledge God the Authour of what 's done The Instrument his servant in his hand Hath shew'd himself to be at his Command And thereunto Obedient in that he Hath thus prepar'd what is so good for thee I say prepar'd for thee and 't is a price Put in thy Hand beware and be not nice Here by thou mayest be help'd Virtue to nourish But Vice it checks even in its greatest flourish Where e're he findes it like a man of God He makes due Application of the Rod Unto the Back which most deserves the blow But if it be not minded know yea know This as another Witnesse will come in And be an aggravation of thy sin Not that it was intended for that end No no it aim'd at this that such might mend And knowing their own evils might return To God that smites and makes his anger burn That he may please to spare and eke to pitty The miserable state of this poore Citty And would not let out all his Wrath Till us consumed quite he hath But in his Mercy he may give Some an escape that they may live And be for Monuments of Praise To his most holy Name alwayes Amen London's Lamentation Made mostly in the language of Jeremies Lamentations occasioned by the present Plague with which she is now visited Anno 1665. Her Case HOw doth the City solitary sit Of People it was full now few in it She weepeth sore i' th' Night and so appeares With mournfull Face with Cheeks bedew'd with Tears The wayes of her Assemblies do lament Because that few or none doe them frequent Her Priests do sigh yea they for feare do flye Her Virgins grieve she takes all bitterly Her beauty which was great it now is gone Solemnities she had now there are none Her Princes and her great Ones like the Hart Pursu'd by Plague strengthlesse from her depart Distrest she is her Bowels troubled are Her Heart is turn'd in her thus doth it fare Abroad the Sword bereaves at home there 's death Both young and old bereaved are of Breath Her miseries are yet without restraint Her Sighes are many and her Heart is faint The Cause SHee hath Rebell'd and Sinned grievously Therefore she is remov'd and made to fly Her Filth is in her skirts so may she finde Her latter end full little did she minde Zion of old had Prophets which did see Vaine things and foolish were they found to be Sin did not they discover no not they So as to turn Callamity away False Burthens they did see and Visions vent Causes of dreadfull Plague and Punishment God's fiercest Wrath they sorely did provoke And so they fell under his heavy stroke For sinns of Prophets and of Priests that shed The blood o' the just in her and had not fed The Souls of those committed to their care But rather mischief did for them prepare Gods anger did break out and t' was his minde Them to divide no favour should they findè Let London in this Glasse her Face behold Least still there dye and dye both young and old If she with Scripture as Gods Heifer plow Sho'le read the Riddle and the cause shee 'le know The Course to be taken in Order to Cure WIll she turn queritant That 's not the way To appease the wrath of God the Plague to stay Nay rather let her search her wayes and turn Vnto the Lord Least that his anger burn And not be quencht nor from her turn away But still devoure and waste from day to day Vnto the Heavens let her lift her hands Her Heart to God who hath her in his Bands And say that she transgrest Rebelled hath And therefore God hath Plagu'd her in his wrath That he is Righteous in what e re he doth Sinned she hath and he is justly wroth Cause she hath none to plain its punishment For Sin she bears it is for that shee 's shent Let her submit keep silence unto God Put mouth in dust quietly bear the Rod Remembring misery Wormwood eke and Gall And being kindly humbled under all Such Recollection made let her expresse Acceptance of her punishment learn Righteousnes Knowing withall her spiritual Plague and Sore Let her return to God and Sin no more Least worse things come unto her when she shall Back-slide return to Folly from God fall Then let her Hope and in that Hope confesse It is of Gods rich Mercy that there 's less Then utter desolation on her brought She not consumed wholly brought to nought Let her acknowledge Gods compassions are Such as doe never faile he doth prepare Them every morning fresh and so makes known His faithfulnesse full great unto his own Let her make God her Portion and then say In him my hope shall be both now and aye Let her improve the experience she hath found For others good and loudly let her sound To th' Honour of Gods Name that they that seek And waite for him with lowly Hearts and meek Shall finde its good because its duty and For them his goodnesse he will still command Let London take this course be sure God will Return in Mercy make her flourish still The after Carriage of such as are Preserved from or recovered of the Plague LOrd thou hast greatly been provok't By City Countries all Thine anger hath broke out and smoak't And we been made to fall Terrible have thy appearings been Thy Hand eke lifted up In it our Eyes have also seen Of Wrath a deadly Cup. Thy glittering Sword thou whetted hast Thy Bow eke thou hast bent Thine Arrows on thy string were plac't On every side they went On Judgement thou hast taken hold Thy Vengeance thou hast made To seize on such as have been bold And not at all affraid Thee to provoke unto thy Face Against thee to Rebell Thy Pestilence it did them chase And into Graves they fell Thousands on our right hand did fall Thousands eke
shall be peace exactors righteousness and very much to that purpose the whole chapter is full of marrow and fatness it drops like the dropping of a honey comb the 21. and 22. Chapters of the Revelations also speak at a very high rate and tell us of new Jerusalem comming down from heaven as a bride made ready for her husband Of a City that shall be of a glorious constitution and that all things shall be made new and very much to this purpose which I conceive doth as the other passages before mentioned referr to a state in this life I cannot but mention the second of Peter chap. 3. We according to his promise look for a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness and scripture which I have cause to remember with a most thankfull acknowledgment of a mercifull providence ordered out to my self When I had preached over the whole Chapter to that Verse and had ingaged to the verse and preached one Sermon upon it and had a more numerous multitude of Auditors Ministers and others then ordinary upon the account of the Argument which the Text led me unto After I had preached that Sermon which was at seven of the clock in the morning of the Lords-Day according to my ordinary course that very day there was some disturbance in the City and it is known what was performed by them and what after proceeding there was on the part of the Powers then in being ingaged I then was to the prosecution of the Text the next Lords day it was apprehended that it was no way safe for me to proceed in the discourse but that it was my wisest course either wholy to wave it or at least to intermitt the prosecution of it for a time I disputed the matter within my self commended my cause to God in a way of Prayer and thereupon I judged thus that if I should baulke my Text which I had handled in part and was falln upon in course having preached upon the whole foregoing part of the Chapter I should do great disservice to my Lord and Master and cast the whole Congregation under disappointment which would expect to hear what I had further to say upon the point and it would turn to my prejudice so to do I brake by the help of grace the force of the temptation proceeded in my course gave some tollerable satisfaction to my Auditors had some good approbation of my Labour and all was well very well I had peace the people profit but this by way of digression For the apprehension and opinion concerning a more glorious State of the Church here on earth I own it and conceive that the Scriptures alleadged with multitudes more give abundant ground for it For the opinion concerning the Thousand Years and the personal reign of Christ I know it hath great patronage from learned and godly men Others are of a different apprehension and judg it to be more proper to interpret the fore alleadged Scriptures of a glorious estate in the world to come In the heaven of glory I mean Whatever the difference between them be and however the interpretation proceeds I wish there may be no litigant spirit among the learned and godly concerning it knowing that it is Melius dubitare de occultis quà m litigare de incertis as was the speech of Austin of old and whatever our expectations be whether of a more glorious estate here on earth or of a perfect estate of glory in heaven let you and me set our hearts to make the best preparation we can for the appearance of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ and that we may appear with some suteableness to the future productions of former predictions for may we not think there will be occasion to say with respect to the performan ce of these things which are purposed concerning the Church of God in a way of mercy and grace and to cry out as Balaam did with respect unto dreadfull productions in a way of judgment and severity as in Numbers 22 23. alas who shall live when God doth this and what will it avail us to see new Jerusalem coming down from heaven as a bride in her beauty and bravery and our selves found in a state of deformity and beggery in rotten raggs to have New Jerusalems Lâ—ght and Glory breaking out and have neither eye to see it nor shoulders to bear up under the weight of it to have all things made new and nothing of newness of heart to have the marriage of the Lamb kept and we no wedding garments to be found on us There is a letter lately come forth to publick view bearing the Earl of Marleboroughs name which I had an account of by a manuscript I hear it is now in Print whether with any variations and amplification I cannot say what I heard I judged Primo auditu to be Verbum Scriptum viro nobili dignum he therein asserting pleading the reallity substantiality of Religion and Godliness which many too many at this day most impudently insolently audaciously in suam perniciem give judgment upon as a meer fancy and humane device as if that Athistical spirit had a stamp of truth upon it Primus in orbe Deos fecit timor fear and fancy have given the first being to God and Religion and so they sleight it disgust it decry it making nothing of it O! Monsters of men in quibus ne mica sanae mentis ne granum salis men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning the faith as Paul speaks is it not my friends a time for God to work when men make void his Law Psalm 119. and not onely his Law his Institutions and appointments but himself and his very being too Is it not time for God to appear and awake to Judgment after a long time of silence and his seeming to be a sleep to vindicate and plead his Name his Cause his World his Worships as now he hath begun to do no wonder that at this day he answer us out of the Whirl-winde as he did his servant Job who had made a little too bold with God that now he hath drawn his Sword and bent his Bow put his Arrows upon the string and let them fly on every side and what would we have him to do tell me my friends for I would be willing to know what entertainment this Letter of the Earls finds how it takes on one side or other especially on the part of the Grandees Gentry what judgment they make of it and whether it be a Ludibrium or a Documentum a matter of scorn or a Scholiast by which they are willing to be animadverted upon both as to their persons and manners whether they slight it and set light by it as stramineuâ— quid stercorcum quid the issue of a fanatick friendlike brain or to be solid and judicious of a profitable improvment and such as hath a tendencie to move and provoke men to consider more seriously of
hath done great Execution much Protestant blood hath been shed when it will be quiet and fall a sleep again after its awakening who can tell The terrible sword of Pestilence is also now awakened and it is acting its part according to the Commission granted unto it how high this may rise how farr it may reach how long it may continue and what may succeed and come after it who can tell These things are laid up in store with God and sealed among his Treasures to whom Vengance and Recompences belong who will make the feet of his Enemies slide in due time for the day of their Calamity is at hand and the things that shall come upon them make haste t. 32. v. 34 35. As touching the Pestilential Contagion now amongst us it hath a very formidable aspect and begins to open its mouth wide and to devoure on every side many are possessed with fear and trembling to think what will become of them and are ready to cry out with Balaam Wo and alas who shall live when God doth this and well may sinners in Zion be afraid and fearfullness surprize the hypocrite in heart Esai 33. And such as are of guilty consciences as not being able to dwell with devouring fire and with everlasting burnings It s a becoming thing for such to let fall their spirits to come down from their grandeur to turn in upon their own hearts and humble themselves under the mighty hand of God who though fury be not in him yet if any will set himself against him he will be sure to finde that God is more then his match and will be as a devouring flame to a bush of dry thorns and stubble and will in a moment burn them up It s their wisest course to make peace with God and take hold of his strength and they shall make peace with him as the Prophet speaks Esai 27. 4 5. It s not for any to turn Quiritants and Plaintiffs against God who is sufficiently able to shew cause for what he doth and give a reason of all his actings though he be not bound to do it Nor is it fit to say unto him what doest thou its proper for us all to put our mouths in the dust and now that his hand is lifted up to see it submitt to it and learn righteousness by it knowing that they that will not see it shall see and be ashamed for their envy at the people Esai 26. And that they that will not fear with a fear of duty shall fear with a fear of punishment in a judicial way and if men will deal proudly against God he will be found to be above them yea in the very things wherein they do deal proudly against him It s holy Counsel and never more proper for men to take then at this day which Jeremiah gives us in the 3. of his Lamentations 40 c. Wherefore doth the living man complain a man for the punishment of his sin every word hath its weight and is emphatically argumentative Its man and not God and shall man complain against God it s a living man and that speaks Gods patience and forbearance he might have struck him dead and sent him to hell but he lives and is it fitting that he should complain and not rather magnifie Gods patience and goodness and say it s of the Lords mercies that we are not utterly consumed It s a man for the punishment of his sin that which he suffers under and complains of is of his own procuring he eats the bread of his own bakeing drinks the drink of his own brewing reaps the harvest of his own seed nay nay it is not for the living man to complain but as the counsel is there given to search and try his ways and turn to the Lord his God to be humbly inquiring into the Reason into the very Reason why God is fallen out with England and London that have been good friends so long Why he hath taken his Rod into his hand and gives us such heavy blows that he fetches blood from us and strikes us dead And indeed let this be our business at this day to know and find out the Proper Reason of this present Plague To find out the causes of a Disease we count hath a great tendency to the Cure but who and where is the wise man that may understand this and who is it to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken that he may declare it for what the Land is Plagued and in a way to perish and to become as a wilderness that none passeth through they are Jeremiah's words Jer. 9. verse 12. If such a course be not taken and vigerously prosecuted without partiality and an ingenuous acknowledgment made that to all other our sins we have added these or these till we find out the Jonah that makes the seas tempestuous the Achan that troubles the â—and the Sheba son of Biory which makes the disturbance and so must be beheaded and his head cast over the wall Till this be done it will not be well with us but we may even call for the mourning women as it follows in that place To take up a wailing and to make bitter Lamentation for death is come into our windows and is entred into our palaces to cut off the children from without and the young men from the streets I hear that diverse of our Preachers have been performing somthing to such a purpose improving the Scriptures and giving account from them what particular sins have formerly provoked God to send the Plague upon a people this is somthing to the purpose But what if there be some or other abomination committed in the Land which lyes heavy on it and the cry of it is heard in the eares of the Lord of Hostes that till it be found ouâ— the mouth of it stopt and it self removed some or other sin which the Scripture doth not so clearly and in terms make mention of for I suppose it may be so that sins may be committed that have scarce ever been heard of before as God somtimes bringeth to light strange punishments and armes himself with weapons of his Indignation which he hath not formerly made use of as we have it in Job 31. v. 3. Is not destruction to the wicked and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity So there may be uncooth unheard of sins Now this I drive till this or that particular evil be found out Confessed Repented and Reformed till the proper vein be opened and the singer laid upon the very sore we may pine away and perish in our iniquity and the Land become desolate without Inhabitant Nathan said unto David thou art the man David said of himself I am the man this is my sin I have madâ— some observation in my daily Course of reading Scriptures of that passage in Eze. 15. 8. I will make the land desolate because they have committed a trespass and the like you find in